Just another WordPress.com site

Portia, Boone, Tash, Wexler, and the android from the alternate universe infiltrate the ship carrying Ishida’s prisoners and kill both them and the security force holding them. They then convince Truffault to a deal smuggling missiles to another corporation but betray her as the crew of the Raza learn of their existence. With the help of Tabor, they convince the alternate crew to sell the missiles to another buyer however Portia and Boone sneak onto the Raza to take it over. The android and Five though subdue both Portia and Boone as the alternate android agrees to trade them back for Three who had been previously captured. After the exchange, the alternate Portia meets with Commander Nieman aboard his station and plots to take down the Raza crew. On the Raza, Tabor leaves on Truffault’s ship taking Solara with him, citing a need to be less adventurous and safe. Later, Two rendezvous with the outer colony planet where Six was occupying however they’re stunned when they see the planet is littered with dead bodies.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Dark Matter never forgets its many plot threads and once again introduces us to the mayhem of Portia and her alternate team. This was a bit of a surprise as I had cornered Corso as the sole escapee from their last encounter. I didn’t expect the entire rest of the crew to make it across sans Corso himself. What does come as more of a surprise is their integration as another formidable group of villains, albeit not the smartest considering they don’t have an evil Five on their team. Tabor’s departure seems like perfect timing, but I wouldn’t be against them appearing again if it meant they can take a more purposeful position in the future. With next week’s promo pointing to Six as the mysterious Agent Zero, it looks like Two and her team will once more be up against the man who betrayed them originally. Fun times.

THE GOOD

I have to give props to the curve ball at the beginning when Ishida’s prisoners were spaced by Portia and Boone. It took me a second to realize what was going on and not that Two and Three had become vicious, chaos-driven villains and would stop at nothing to revenge against their former comrade, Four. Portia and Boone seem to have all the pieces they need to “try” and outsmart the Raza crew, however as we quickly realize, Portia needs bigger help to get the job done, and that’s what resourceful villains do, they get better villains to do the work for them. For the most part, I’m glad they didn’t wrap this up by killing all the alternate crew members and for some reason I feel like there’s high potential to include the alternate android in a plot down the road. High hopes.

THE BAD

I realize the episode needed Ishida in it to connect with the ship that the alternate crew murdered so we can keep this universe small enough, but I don’t think this was an episode that needed us to remember that Ishida is still maintaining a dubious personality when it comes to malevolent emperor versus the sensible Ishida we remember. It’s the same example we got last time and we didn’t need another one so soon. We know Ishida is plagued with doubt and worrisome over the war effort and still feels accountable for Nyx’s death. We know he’s slipping further from Teku’s influence and more toward an angry resentful leader that needs fear to work as his weapon. The next logical course of action is to either make his turn complete or make him fight the corruption from within using his good senses he was taught to have. We don’t need any more ambiguous decisions, just get on with the tragic downfall if it’s going to happen. More evolution and less reminders.

FAVORITE MOMENT

It was short, but I liked the fight between Portia and the android. I thought it could get really crazy considering Portia has the same nano-tech as Two does (she does right?) and the android of course flipping around was perfect. I like fights that are energized and this certainly fit the bill. I want to see the android handle a sword next time against Ishida or Misaki.

CHARACTER MVP

Little tough on this one. There wasn’t a central character theme this time around and almost everyone had moment to shine one for the most part. I’ll save both androids deserve the award for both the fight scene against Portia and for the other android taking down Tash to handle the trade for her allies back. Both moments were crucial to each side’s success and their little conversation was of course worth a few chuckles considering their emotionless yet suspicious natures about one another.

ENDING THOUGHTS

Just a few plots still floating around the ether we haven’t dived too far into including the mystery of Five’s sister and whether or not there are any more assassins from Ishida on their way to intercept the Raza. If not the latter then certainly the former needs to be resolved this season. We have time.

This may be slightly off the cusp, but as heart-warming as the scenes were with Three and Sarah, I really want one of them to show some kind of heavy side-effect with the situation they’re in. If it’s Sarah, her world-building could be further developed as a scenario where she begins to play god in her own world, building people and a whole town of her own to the point she can’t sustain the populace she made and has to break out or destabilize. For Three, I can see him starting a dependency for Sarah like last time only more internal to the point, he becomes obsessed and stays in Sarah’s world too long to the point his physical body begins to suffer wildly or he becomes stuck inside. I just feel there’s something building here and it won’t necessarily be good for either one in the end.

Does Ishida really have the military experience to decide the fate of his armada? Being the emperor means he can make any decision surely, but he also has a great deal of knee-jerk reactions that are preventing him from making effective decisions, something his general(s) should be witnessing and advising more than just what they’re doing now. In the past, it’s been about choosing between one general’s plan versus Teku’s or whatnot, but now he’s just making call after call which are inherently bad each time around. This is the struggle with knowing he’s going to lose no matter what and seeing how each step brings him closer to that downfall. Frustrating but necessary.

I also wonder if when it comes down to it, will Two kill Portia and will Three kill Boone, and will the android be forced to kill the other android? There will be a final showdown of sorts, I’m almost certain of it, but what will be the fate of the alternate crew. I’m not in any way caring about evil Wexler and Tash, they’re cannon fodder like they always were, but Portia and Boone deserve a fitting end to their evil ways. That should also be resolved this season.

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. The doppelgangers return to lay their own foundation in the universe where only one crew of the Raza can remain. Tabor made one last team effort before resigning as a guest character while Ishida continues to make anything but a calculated decision regarding the war he’s in. With a few surprises and some good action, tonight’s episode fulfilled a week long wait in finding out where the Raza ventured next. And as always, there was a stinger of a cliffhanger detailing Six’s new allies as they’re all likely dead save for him. Now we deal with the fallout and the potential for more crucial moments as Six becomes the deadly enemy once again. Five will have her work cut out for her. Thanks for reading.

During a transmission call made by Adrian the Raza become entangled in a plot to save Adrian’s would-be girlfriend by trading her for a data file containing the location of Project Phoenix, a shipyard for a Ferrous Corp. armada. After a failed attempt to retrieve the file at Tabor’s last known whereabouts, Five and Adrian board a station with a vault, but are captured by the security force working for Ferrous Corp. The android breaks them out and they head to a planet where Tabor was rumored to hiding in. Once there, they are again captured by the local sentry android but Three and the android intervene and retrieve the file. Adrian makes the trade for the woman, Ambrosia, but she double-crosses her captor in an attempt to sell the file herself. The crew subdue her but Adrian convinces them to let her go. On the Raza, the crew discover the shipyard is empty suggesting the Ferrous Corp fleet is already operational. Meanwhile, on Zairon, Ishida is suffering heavy losses with defending a sector that is spiritually important to his people and when he discovers an assassin in his ranks, he enforces fear rather than love to subjugate loyalty from his people. Elsewhere, Commander Nieman makes a log reciting an escalation of events and a certainty of victory in the corporation war. He also mentions an Agent Zero, someone who will be necessary to deal with the outer colonies as he reviews Six on screen.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Dark Matter continues to push the corporate war into the next phase while giving us more back-story on Adrian and Solara, the two newest recruits to the Raza. While enduring Adrian’s wild-goose chase regarding the data file on Project Phoenix and subsequent deception by his crush, we’re also given a wider spectrum on Ishida’s slip into a more darker rule as the “Fall of Ishida” begins its domino effect. Some aspects of this episode stood out very effectively while Adrian as the main focus kept us from diving further into another character’s subplot, Solara, but we’ll get to her later.

Five continues to showcase her new talents of bad-assery and the android once more got to strut her emotional stuff which continues to beg the question, why doesn’t she just leave the augment on? Entertaining episode, but not necessarily the strongest of this season so far.

THE GOOD

Dark Matter knows the pieces it’s setting on the board and with every episode we’re given just a snippet of the whole, this time the firepower of Ferrous Corp and an ominous threat of a character known as Agent Zero. And before we theorize that Six is a triple agent it’s more likely that Nieman will be sending this agent to neutralize Six as a threat. Hopefully this agent has the fortitude and charisma to be someone other than a single-episode villain, because this show needs more villain mainstays and Nieman isn’t the end all be all for this show, at least I hope not.

Ishida’s darker turn is frustrating to watch, but in a good way. If I were a betting man, I’d say Ishida should take on the role of the main villain for at least this season, because we’re being given a gradual slide into that side of him that will do whatever he must to preserve his stature and ability to be emperor of Zairon. But, realistically, he’s more likely a symbol of how being negatively influenced can ruin someone’s career and role. I wouldn’t normally expect his character to lose everything and once more join Raza’s cause, because that would be too textbook, but if he does have a final part to play against Ferrous Corp, he’ll need the Raza and her crew to make things right for himself and his people.

THE BAD

This came right out of the gate, but I was certainly intrigued by Solara’s back-story and would have expected some circular tie-in as a means to deal with her grief with what happened at the temple she trained in. Yet we weren’t given any subplot surrounding it, and for the moment I understand that there is nothing to really bring out since she murdered everyone who killed the monks, but that doesn’t mean we can’t capitalize on her grief and make these situations where she has to deal with similar circumstances. The episode simply moved on to Adrian’s plight and I wasn’t really as interested in seeing his development as I was Solara’s.

While Adrian proved to be a man of conscience, he doesn’t seem any more capable of being an asset to the team except when it comes to random levity and an occasional reality-checking voice. I’m hoping Solara won’t have to actually give her life to save Adrian in the future unless it made him a stronger person for it. If we’re going to build him up, let’s do it with purpose unless he turns out to be more cannon fodder.

FAVORITE MOMENT

I think it’s done with a reserved fashion, but I’m beginning to appreciate more and more the android’s style when it comes to her emotional side of things. Not just in her character personas she’s capable of emulating but even in casual conversation like she was having with Three which makes me yearn for her character to just leave the damn upgrade turned on so she can exist as a real heartbeat on the show. Nevertheless, I do enjoy these moments where she gets to unleash her human side and I do hope we see more in the future and not just in situation where she has to pretend to save the crew.

CHARACTER MVP

I’m giving this reluctantly to Adrian for two reasons. For one, he didn’t give up Five as a Raza crew member to the security force that captured him and again for wanting to let Ambrosia go even after she betrayed him. At the heart of it, Adrian is a decent person isn’t really out to scam anyone so there’s no reason to believe that sometime in the future he’ll do a double-cross himself, unless that’s what the writers want us to think…hmmm. In any case, he had growth or at the very least confirmation that he’s not a real imbecile, just extremely gullible.

ENDING THOUGHTS

Just a couple of definitions, but I need to keep track of all these sectors and stations more because there’s just so many. The name Bellerophon (The planet they went to) is in reference to originally a greek hero who slayed the Chimera. When Adrian mentioned “Oslo syndrome” what he was referring to was Stockholm syndrome, albeit a more general idea of it.

With tensions rising between Misaki and Teku, I’m thinking Misaki will learn from her past transgression and continue to manipulate Ishida into having Teku killed rather than killing him herself like she did with Nyx. Sometimes I’m having trouble understanding her motivation since technically everyone wants the same thing for Zairon, she just wants to be more closer to Ishida in influence and proximity I imagine. In our eyes, she’s a “villain” while Ishida isn’t proving to be as smart or resourceful as we might have thought in the past given his status. He’s making Grade A mistakes that are going to cost him his fleet and the war as a whole. But this is the point and the story of his downfall, something we already know is a sure bet.

I’m actually a bit surprised that nobody picked up on Ambrosia and Goren’s plan being a trap for Adrian since he’s the one that made the call first only to find out she was being “held hostage”. Generally in a plot like this someone like Goren or Ambrosia would be the one reaching out to bait the person in question. Otherwise Goren and Ambrosia were literally sitting around waiting for an opportunity to drag Adrian around space looking for the data file. What if Adrian didn’t call that day, or that week, or that month, what would they have done?

Sometimes I think the show is looking for strange reasons to put a wig on Jodelle. They’ve all made her look relatively distinguished, but is her green hair really going to be a dead giveaway to people that she’s a Raza crewmember at this rate? Or is it more simply that unless she looks professional and mature that no one will take her seriously? She’s already managing in a lot of ways to be more than capable of acting, both on instinct and in planning so what are the wigs really doing for her visually? Go with red next time!

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. Dark Matter took us around several locations to show how big their newest member’s heart is. In the midst of finding out the firepower of Ferrous Corp, we’re given more insight into Ishida’s role as emperor and Misaki’s over-arcing influence which will inevitably lead him into a downward spiral. The android once more proves to be a reliable and entertaining asset to the group and we have an ominous character making their way to the frontlines in the name of Agent Zero. More pieces to the puzzle are put in place with plenty on the way. Now it’s time to get a little crazy on the show with more science-fiction mayhem. Bring on the weirdness! Thanks for reading.

Vincent explains to the Mikaelsons that in order to save Hope, he needs to divide the Hollow’s spirit and place it forever within each of the Mikaelson vampires with the aftermath being they can never see one another again. Meanwhile, the Hollow resurrects her servant Dominic and together with her acolytes, storm New Orleans, collecting other witches to serve them. Hayley confronts the Hollow but is easily beaten. When she comes to under Vincent’s care, he explains that Klaus can never see Hope which could sway his decision to undertake the spell. Hayley tells Klaus anyway as the Mikaelsons later storm the church and subdue Hope with the help of Marcel and Sofya. When Kol is presumed unable or unwilling to return, Freya decides to become a vampire to be the fourth, but Kol arrives to take her place. After the spell is cast, the Mikaelsons split with Klaus the last to leave, telling Hope he loves her. The next day, Elijah requests that Elijah and Vincent collectively help cast a compulsion spell on him so that he forgets his vow of loyalty and devotion to Klaus and his family. After doing so, he disappears. Hayley takes Hope to Mystic Falls where she and Alaric watch her interact with other schoolmates. In San Francisco, Kol prepares an engagement ring for Davina while in New York City, Marcel declares his love for Rebekah and the two reconcile. In France, Elijah performs on a piano in a club as Klaus watches his brother in the background, proud of his new life.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Take out the rudimentary plot to once more split the Mikaelsons up, tonight’s season finale garnishes a much more sentimental outlook while never truly saying goodbye to the family that has outlasted time itself. The growth of Klaus and Elijah has seen enough peaks and valleys to take this spin-off and continue to untold tales, but for the first time, I think their final scene together really told the best tale between their birth and eventual ends. As a fan of The Originals, this finale struck the right emotional chord, if not for the idea that redemption is unachievable, but that happiness can exist in their separate lives. It may not be forever, but at least collectively it was at the same time.

THE GOOD

It’s easy to dissect, but Klaus’s moments with Elijah, Marcel and Hope at the end really have given the audience an idea of what full circle can mean for the oldest hybrid. His moments of confession and letting go are what we’ve been needing to see since his time on TVD when family and companionship was all he really wanted, and to lift some curses and stuff. In the present though, he wants to be left to his fate which he presumes will be the downfall of his humanity and eventual turn for the worse. Will he simply turn into the villain again, or can he maintain as Elijah’s ever watchful brother? I’m certain season 5 will answer that very quickly.

This is honestly more neutral than it probably should be, but the idea is still sound and I refer to Rebekah and Marcel finally joined as they had started all those years ago. Rebekah simply wasn’t buying Marcel’s candid appearance, but his sincerity won her in a heartbeat and now we’re given the proverbial happy ending she always wanted. I like it because that’s what I wanted from her. Since the beginning, she wanted that companionship and love from someone, almost anyone who showed feelings toward her and time and time again, she was parted from that happy ending, until now. The only real downside is not knowing if it will last into season 5.

THE BAD

The episode contain almost zero tension and drama regarding the fate of the Hollow. Even after Dominic was resurrected, there was no innate fear that the Hollow was going to be subdued at a real heavy price, and I speak of death not the separation of the Mikaelson family, which we know if ultimately temporary as this isn’t a series finale. The Hollow, in retrospect was just really a tool to get the Mikaelsons to part ways in a very forcible manner that they would never agree to on common ground. There could be some genuine irony if something or someone had to pull them back together because of something worse appearing that only the Hollow or her power could be used against. Imagine the darkness that would need to be in those shoes.

FAVORITE MOMENT

It’s a combination of Klaus’s confession to Marcel and the last season of the episode when Klaus watches his brother with a smile. Both are his real growth moments, the heavy pieces that we’ve been waiting to see as his story is being told. At the end of the day, he knows he can’t be redeemed and now he has to suffer any ill effects of the Hollow’s damning curse alone. He’ll dabble in quiet solitude and eventually revert back to some old methods to wash away the anguish, only this time, no one will be there to console him. Maybe Freya can see him from time to time, but without his daughter, Klaus can only dream of the future he could have had and that will make him miserable for as long as the earth will have him.

CHARACTER MVP

It really should go to all four Mikaelsons with Freya too going as far as to become a vampire to keep Hayley from having to leave her daughter. Everyone shared in the grief but knew the decision had to be made. Rebekah certainly complained the most, but even she understood what had to happen. And for once, it was good to see the siblings outside of New Orleans partaking in what most people could consider a normal life.

ENDING THOUGHTS

Where does the series go from here? A season 5 has been officially greenlit and eventually this family will have to come back. Will Elijah be boundless and free forever or will something happen to Marcel to erase the compulsion he’s still under? Will he ever recognize Klaus again, and for that matter, does he understand all the aspects of his vampiric life never remembering the family he had? How absent is he eternally?

Will Klaus being aound Elijah be a serving point in the next season to bring the Hollow its power to half-strength? I can see this as a tease to that eventual return mainly because Klaus couldn’t help but be his brother’s keeper now that their roles are seemingly reversed.

Can the Mikaelsons really be around any witches at all? Freya and Davina are powerful in their own right and could be lured to bring out the Hollow in some odd way. Vincent may not account for what will happen if an Original dies. Let’s say Kol for example, meets some dark and unexpected end. What will happen to the Hollow’s power and the rest of the his siblings? There’s still a lot that can go wrong here.

I’d like the next season to jump ahead and put Hope as more of the central character moving forward. She could be at an age where her abilities manifest in some form that maybe she’s convinced that she could bring the Mikaelsons back and purge the Hollow’s spirit herself whether Vincent’s around or not. She could at least have the confidence before finding out how wrong she might be and letting the Hollow reform back again. But at least the family would be back together.

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. It was an overtly sentimental finale that if pursued as the true final episode, I would have cheered with thumbs up. But it’s not, and since they didn’t know, we didn’t get a raging cliffhanger that would have certainly been worse if they never came back. What this basically means is, whatever bow they wanted to put on this series, they’re going to have to do this all over again with more sentiments and goodbyes and probably throw in a few cures to boot before we finally shut the coffin on this world forever. I’m still excited to see what they’ll come in store with, but I’m hoping they take the time to really think about a villain base that makes sense and it equally compelling as the family itself. The Hollow was not a very interesting villain and we need likeminded characters challenging the Mikaelsons in ways they’ve never been challenged before. Write those episodes and season 5 will be unstoppable. Thanks for reading. See you next season.

Three relives the same day over and over until he finds a way to convince the crew of his condition. During one instance, they arrive at a station and Three is attacked by one of Ishida’s bounty hunters, Ash, who has technology that allows him to phase through matter. Returning to the loop, Three and the crew run the same routine but attempt to capture Ash. Adrian tries to use a clock he took from Tabor during a time when Tabor collected items from a scientist as collateral. The clock is responsible for the time loop and adds Adrian with Three who together convince the crew to try and capture Ash again. When they arrive at the station, Ash confronts Three having been affected by the time loop as well. He is eventually killed when he attempts to phase through a wall while unconscious. Afterward, the android attempts to correct the time loop problem by adjusting the clock which hurtles her through several key moments in the future including a time when Five is old and on the ship alone in the outermost reaches of space. Five tells the android to destroy the clock when she returns, which she does, allowing everyone to resume normal time. Three finally meets with Sarah and accepts her situation as a conscious being within the dataframe. Back on Zairon, Ishida informs another member of his hired group of Ash’s failure as he attempts to once more gain access to the Raza’s position.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Dark Matter journeys into familiar territory but more than revitalizes the art of the time-looping plot. The reoccurring day is one of my favorite sci-fi themes and has since been seldom used in cinema and television as of late. But fear not, this isn’t a quasi bored theme, but rather an intense and humorous look into the mindsets of a both Three and the android. Three provided the beats we’re all familiar with, but the real gold was witnessing the android’s short but vital trek through the cosmic access of time. Part of science fiction is gaining knowledge of what’s to come, and that’s often never paired with the time loop theme unless it’s to defuse the situation of the moment and not the portents of things to come. Not only have we been given some fascinating glimpses into the android’s ever-shifting future, but we ultimately know Ishida’s fate as emperor. Let’s get started, again and again.

THE GOOD

If you put every crew member of the Raza up against a wall and wondered which would take to a time-loop the best on paper, that person would be Three. He was the right choice, because anyone else probably would have solved the issue the second or third time around. What sets Three apart from some other characters that have gone through this scenario is his inarticulate and foolish methods to remember facts and unique problem solving, including learning a language, which seems funny considering his inability to remember what was wrong with the ship in English. He’s also the only character who rightly needed a situation like this to get past some hang-ups including his attention toward Five and more recently, his reunion with Sarah. The moment they shared at the end was probably one of the more tender moments this show has ever produced.

THE BAD

In the sci-fi world of storytelling there’s an old saying, “Everyone gets one thing that doesn’t have to be explained and the audience just has to accept.” For example, in “Inception,” we’re never told “how” the dream-sharing-conscious machines work, they just do, and we have to accept the technology and move on. In this case, we’re given a clock with a brief and semi-convoluted past. No real explanation on how the technology functions, it just does. For the most part I’m okay with it because knowing really does nothing for the plot at hand. But in situations like these, I often wonder if writers can challenge the status quo and come up with a real interesting concept with how their written technology functions. A “deal with it” clock just seemed a little too glossed over to sell the idea. At least it wasn’t mystical in a world of technology.

FAVORITE MOMENT

There’s a lot to choose, but I’d like to go with the android, in her goth-form, conversing with an elderly Five, who gave the android several key moments that will shape the fate of the crew and aspects of the galaxy. I’ll list what those time periods were below, but the important thing is here is our understanding of the radical effects the crew will have and the down slope they’ll be going through as the seasons progress. But Five will be fine, she always is. The androids future outfit was very cyber-punk appropriate, and I hope we get to see her again in that form soon.

CHARACTER MVP

This was all Three from top to bottom. He wasn’t the one to solve the time-loop crisis, but he helped get everyone into a position to understand what to do. His hilarious romp through a repeating cycle was orchestrated with his mental state in mind. He’s brash and rude in some aspects and very thoughtful in others. His mixed bag approach was often met with logical conclusions, but in the long run, he’s better off for the experience. His decision to meet with Sarah was the real evolution of his character and I for one am glad he’s survived this long to see her again. Now, if only they could construct an android equivalent and download her into its core memory processor. Okay, okay it’s been done on Eureka, moving on.

ENDING THOUGHTS

The android’s time jumps are as detailed:

On the bridge with Two held up in a section of the ship and Three silently shooting the android.

The android in a house within a snowy mountain (like in the emotional construct world) crying and being told by Two that’s she’s feeling grief.

The android on a table, severed in parts, speaking to a man working for Elektis (sp?) Corp. explaining the GA captured her and interrogates her about the android liberation front.

The android is modified in the far future and finds an elderly Five on the bridge. She warns the android of the following sequences of events:

The Dwarf Star’s conspiracy

The double-deception

Kryda and Corrina, the accelerated

The fall of the house of Ishida

The meeting with the android’s creator

The black ships

There’s an evil method here at work considering how these events will be talked about and theorized, but the key here is both the order in which Five tells them and how they may pertain to this season or the next few seasons. If I were a betting man, I’d say all of if not most of these events will all encompass this season in some way. We never know how many years Dark Matter will run, so each event being in one season at a time suggests this show is 6 years away from finality. I’m thinking these events will happen sooner than that and the key is what happens to House Ishida. I’m confident that will be resolved this season which also suggests everything above it will occur at well.

Then there’s which events Five mentioned tie directly with the android’s time jumps. Is the double-deception event involved with Three betraying the android? Is the scientist working for Elektis Corp a part of the Dwarf Star conspiracy or something else? And are either of these “accelerated” characters Five’s sister? She’s still very much an unspoken fragment of this season’s many mysteries, and let’s not forget the multitude of unanswered questions left back from the last two seasons including the stowaway from the alternate universe. One thing is for certain, I’m hooked on trying to find the answers.

Oh, and thanks for putting Five near the edge of the universe, I’m glad someone out there was listening =)

OVERALL SCORE

9 out of 10. Dark Matter has found its formula, and its path toward telling its greatest stories to come. The key to some science fiction plots is borrowing old themes and redesigning them to birth new ideas within the current realm. The time loop was a roadmap into the chaotic and costly events of the Raza crew’s future. The one question that must be immediately asked when time travel occurs is, “Can the future be averted or is time truly fixed on one path alone?” Dark Matter wants us to think real hard on that answer before they reveal to us their thoughts on it, and it’s an encouraging premise into some wild and fantastic episodes that may or may not inhabit this current season. Tonight’s episode carried with it an even balance of humor, excitement, thoughtfulness, and darkness to come. These characters will become the shapers of the universe and some will most definitely not survive to see what it will become. Thanks for reading.

Hayley avoids Elijah while contemplating how to raise Hope with the violent Mikaelsons. Meanwhile, Vincent attempts to locate Inadu’s mother in the afterlife for information on how to seal the hollow for good, but is attacked by more hollow acolytes. The hollow book is stolen leaving Klaus and Elijah to find it as Rebekah is staked by Hope. With Marcel’s help, Vincent momentarily dies to find Inadu’s mother and discover the spell to lock Inadu away for good. Together, Freya and Hayley discover Inadu is within Hope and subdue her but Inadu’s spirit releases and takes out everyone including Elijah and Marcel who are helping Vincent by distracting Inadu. Vincent arrives and traps her while Klaus enters the realm Hope is trapped in to help keep her fighting against the hollow. Inadu breaks free and again takes Hope, this time burning the book for good before returning to her acolytes. As the family recovers Vincent warns Klaus that in order to defeat the hollow they must prepare to suffer a grim fate.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The Originals cash in on what may be a heartbreaking finale similar to last season when the family that tries to stay together may once more be separated through the worst of circumstances. As far as penultimate episodes go, this felt a little flat in that they had to focus on entirely too many people at once including Elijah’s return, Haley’s dissonance, Freya’s dark fear, the return of Sofya, and so many acolytes. It wasn’t a mess, but there was a rough way of telling this story and keeping Inadu in a state of advantage. Most of all we’re given Klaus’s reveal that he will return to his old personality if something bad happens to Hope. His growth is anchored by the love he can give another, in this season, it’s his daughter as last season is was more toward Camille and baby Hope. Vincent swears a heavy price with what’s to come and it’s a good foreshadowing, one I am certainly excited to see.

THE GOOD

I’m actually glad they didn’t overemphasize Elijah’s return or the impending doom of his relationship with Hayley. Too much was going on and we were only given a few moments between them. Elijah kept it short and simple that he’s on her side, but Hayley of course can’t settle on being around such a violent family even though it’s all she’s ever truly known. As for Elijah, he sees the problem at hand and tells Klaus to take Hope and leave when all is said and done. I do believe he understands what’s at stake with Klaus in that if Hope is lost, Klaus will become far worse than he’s been and that’s too high a risk considering the evil they’re already dealing with.

THE BAD

Too many acolytes, too many characters running around trying to make sense of the trouble their in. I don’t like how the stock of evil hollow worshippers is essentially endless. If we took count, it would be somewhere close to 75-100 which may seem small in comparison to the world, but for episodes like these, that’s still a lot of witch-like characters and unless all the witches in New Orleans turned to worship Inadu, it just doesn’t make sense to give us these stormtrooper style minions.

FAVORITE MOMENT

I think I really like Vincent’s words at the end, the kind of words to the Mikaelsons that really spells what a price looks like should they wish to defeat the hollow once and for all. I like his delivery and his emphasis. It almost works out in his favor ultimately which could always be something he fashioned as a means to kill all the birds with one stone. In any case, he remains one of my favorite characters because of that raw intensity he provides and seeing the look on Klaus’s face says it all, of course he’ll pay that price to save his daughter.

CHARACTER MVP

Again, I think Vincent played the bigger role here going as far as to let himself die to seek the answers he needed. He can keep a level head while still sounding completely frustrated and full of anxiety. Marcel comes in a close second for the one on everyone battle against the hollow acolytes. I wish we could have seen more of that devastating spree, but with what we were given, it was an excellent showdown. Though it should have been entirely more one-sided.

ENDING THOUGHTS

I think the amount of damage Inadu did on Sofya should have killed her. Sofya didn’t strike me as a particularly powerful character, at least in comparison to the others around her and it looked like her days were essentially numbered. But I get that we needed Rebekah to understand that Marcel isn’t in a state of mind to return to her because of his feelings toward Sofya, which, to this day I still don’t understand why he fell for her.

This was also one of those moments I thought Keelin would perish as well considering the heavy emphasis Freya took in keeping her safe. That much work usually means in storytelling devices that she’d like fail as an ironic twist or that she’d cause something that would lead to that tragic moment, but from the way they’re building up the relationship, they really do want Freya to have someone to hold onto that isn’t just another sibling she’s trying to keep alive. It’s still tough forgiving her for what she did to Davina last season though. Mostly.

When Hope was able to disappear after Klaus console her, it seemed like she was going to be able to take control of herself again, but that didn’t end up happening, so where in fact did she go? Was it so quick between her waking and Inadu possessing her again that we just weren’t given a chance to see it? Seemed like an odd transition and also the fact that the hollow and release and return to her at will. One would think a spell like that would infuse her a bit more securely except Hope is in fact the most powerful witch, in theory, so there’s that.

I can see how this is being built as a final episode of the series, but I wonder how it would have played out if season 5 wasn’t green-lit for next year. After this, it’s going to be hard to top a powerful character like Inadu but I’m sure they’ll think of something. We’ve pretty much covered the origin of all supernatural elements on this show and TVD, when season 5 does come around, will be more in-fighting with Klaus and his siblings or another test to see how they’ll band together once more against a common foe. And I’d also expect to see another TVD cameo from someone, other than Alaric since we already got to see him.

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. The Originals create a lot of physical and metaphorical circles to trap their problems and deal with a common threat in their city. Klaus’s mental health and many other lives are on the line including a fair warning that stopping the hollow will disband the Mikaelsons for good. At least they’d have skype and cell phones, but will this in fact be the last time the family can be a single unit? Hayley’s dealing with issues on raising Hope that Elijah recognizes and insists Klaus be the one to make sure Hope is raised without the violence. In a way, this result may be exactly what the family needs to maintain a sense of normalcy. An enjoyable episode, but more toward the foundation of knowing that we’re nearing the end of the season and in a way it feels like we just started. One more to go before the long break. But at least we’ll get one more go after this. Thanks for reading.

The Raza helps an outer colony planet (Cepheus V) controlled by a Traugott corp. security force from an attack by Ferrous corp. On the planet, they meet with Tabor’s protégé, Adrian who offers his services as handler for them. They also learn that the inhabitants wish for independence from Traugott and are prepared for war. Six convinces them to let him negotiate after their leader is mysteriously killed by an explosion. Meanwhile, the android discovers Five’s secret regarding Sarah’s digital consciousness within the Raza’s database. When the leader of the security force is murdered, Six is held hostage while the remaining force goes to subdue the colony group. Two and Three find and free Six as they intervene on the Colony’s behalf, stopping the security team. Tensions rise when Six’s rival, The General arrives to offer his help to the colony which Six pleads them not to accept. Unable to sway them, the Raza crew depart only to discover The General putting the security force to death. Six returns and kills The General and offers to remain as a force for good to the colony. Two, Three, and Five leave with Adrian and his bodyguard who, for the time being, are granted a temporary stay. The android confronts Five about Sarah leaving Five to admit that she transferred Sarah’s mind into the database unsure it would work. Three, however shows silent frustration with what Five did. On Zairon, Four gathers a group of mercenaries, bounty hunters, and assassins and hires them to find the blink drive and kill the Raza crew.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Dark Matter continues to build its corporation war framework by losing one of their own to the fight. Never doubt this show’s ability to disband and rework its family for the sake of grander storytelling. We know Six isn’t gone for good, but simply placed in a better position to do good and feel accountable for his actions. After his surprising shot that put The General to a permanent end, he’s off to fight a better fight, but the crew will lose a piece of their positive conscience. Will Adrian and his bodyguard, Solara fill the void, or will they simply be another pair of casualties between destinations the Raza goes to. And let’s not forget Four’s Darth-Vaderesque scene with a group of silent hunters being offered an opportunity to kill the group that remains. This could be a single one-off episode or a series of episodes that covers the bulk of the season. Either way, strap in because we’re in for one hell of a space ride.

THE GOOD

At first I wasn’t invested in the what felt like a trivial story between another outer colony biding for its freedom against a group that didn’t understand it was supposed to quit, then it really hit me about what this show is trying to do for us. The defining characteristic here is how Six is morally changing the compass of the crew. They’re not acting as particular as they used to and however we dive into it, the result is that Two and her crew are becoming quintessential heroes, but more than that, they’re becoming symbols. They may not be the right symbol at this moment and time, but they’re evolving almost at the same capacity as the android is becoming more human. Now that Six is off ship, Two will have to rely more on the message and what they stand for from her own perspective and hopefully she doesn’t falter. Hopefully.

I appreciate Six giving The General the final shot. I wasn’t expecting it and his choice to kill him means he’s ready to truly move forward. We won’t have to rely on his past guilt, which was very apparent in the premiere. He needs to become a leader on his own and only then can he rejoin the Raza when that happens. He’ll do good if not off screen for a bit of time.

THE BAD

The crew is becoming more self-sufficient and capable characters but there’s still an issue with how we’re being introduced to new supporting characters. Now that we’re in season 3, we’re seeing a trend where we swap or introduce new people, and then they die. Nyx was the last to suffer from this instance, and the truth is, I kinda like Adrian and Solara as they are. If Solara is just another replacement for Nyx, then it’s going to be difficult wanting to know more about her or Adrian if they’re just in it for the short term. If they add to the crew’s conflict then hopefully there’s some good stories to tell there, but otherwise I feel they’re just wasting space that’s better served developing the core crew as it is. We’ll see how they shape up.

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Six killed The General. His look said it all and after what Six went through back in season 1, it was definitely good this loose end was tied up. Six understood that The General’s help would lead to more destruction and death, and not even two minutes went by when that started happening. I do want to see if Six can hold it together and help the colony restore its own order by engaging the message of freedom.

CHARACTER MVP

It should certainly go to Six. He offered to negotiate with the security force and stood his ground against The General and went above and beyond by leaving the Raza crew to help the colony rebuild its foundation. You really can’t ask for a more heroic character that understands how to take responsibility for the bigger picture at stake. He should hopefully inspire Two to become more like him, but her journey is a bit more complicated. Still, Six was the most effective player this time around.

ENDING THOUGHTS

I wanted to touch upon this first. I’ve always been fascinated by the allure and cultural style of Zairon and how they present themselves. While I’ve been led pretty close to believe its primary attributes were rooted in Japanese lore and some Samurai heritage, they kind of swerved me by showcasing a student of Kung Fu who performed a Dao Shaolin sword form using a Darn-Dao blade. Are there in fact Chinese influences that we’re now learning about in this culture, and if so, how much more will we get to learn about them as a whole? Very rarely have I seen both cultures comparatively existing under the same roof. It’s interesting and I want to know a bit more on how that works.

Sarah’s consciousness within the Raza database is a little tough for me to get a read on. I’m uncertain if the goal here is to give Three more grief and conflict to work out regarding the woman who saved his life, or whether there’s a more subjective storyline being told here. I think its good that Three undergo this next stage in his character evolution, I’m just not certain if the result will be something akin to downloading Sarah into an android form or some crazier altogether. We’ll see what happens. Sarah seems to be in relative control over her situation given the scenario.

Cepheus is a constellation containing the Cephei stars which are located between 100 and 5000 light years from Earth. This could maybe give us a general clue on how far into space we’re getting and how much further the show could push the boundary. I want the Raza to blink to the literal edge of space. Give me an episode where they find the edge and all literal hell breaks loose.

Now that Four is declaring war against the Raza crew, I’m absolutely convinced that he’ll be involved in a lasting fight with hopefully Two or at the very least the ship itself. I can see a scenario happening where a bigger fight requires them to worth together, but let’s not forget that we still don’t know if Two knows that Four didn’t kill Nyx. And Misaki’s absence doesn’t actually mean she’s alive. I know she is, but there’s always the possibility he’s lying about where she’s at. Not that he’d need to do that, he’s the emperor. He could murder in plain sight and no one would bat in eyelash. Well, maybe his mentor.

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. Dark Matter is putting the effects of the corporation war front and center as The Raza crew deal with the rough times the outer colonies must contend with. The main theme this season is providing us is the passion of growing leaders and the roles they will play. Ishida is a leader, Two has been a leader, and now Six is growing into a leadership role with Five becoming more and more independent as well. Soon, we’ll have them playing key roles that will better shape this war into their personal favor that could spell disaster for one of them, Four being the most to lose if he somehow loses his way. As much as I like seeing how Two and the others deal with Ferrous corp and the war at hand, I’m hoping to see more individual episodes that deal with their internal struggles and a bit more of the sci-fi weirdness that we know the show is perfectly capable of dishing out. Let’s see what else they got! Thanks for reading.

With Hope’s blood, Freya coats a pair of daggers for her and Hayley to use on the Hollow while Kol is tasked by Inadu to keep a totem protecting her safe. Rebekah is sent after the totem and aided by Marcel, however Kol traps them in binding spell and goes to Hope to help her undo the linking spell between Inadu and Davina. Hayley and Freya track Inadu to a derelict home but are both subdued by powerful hallucinating spells. Freya fights against a form of Keelin who plays at her fears of losing her while Hayley wakes in the bayou with a form of Jackson stalling her from waking. Klaus finds Rebekah and Marcel and learns of Kol’s betrayal then returns to the compound while Hope attempts to help Kol. Rebekah and Marcel burn the house they are in down and during an argument they kiss with Rebekah immediately regretting it. Klaus fights with Kol as Hope unbinds the spell just as Hayley and Freya free themselves and face Inadu. With the linking spell broken Davina is freed just as Hayley kills Inadu with the dagger. Klaus releases Kol who reunites with Davina as they leave the city together. Back at the compound, Freya performs the spell to resurrect Elijah while Hayley drinks at the bayou and laments her feelings for both Jackson and Elijah. She also admits to needing strength to do something hard to keep Hope safe. Later at night, Klaus puts Hope to bed not realizing that Inadu had previously performed a spell that allowed her to take possession of her.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The Originals fought mostly as a family to put Inadu’s new mortal form to a permanent rest, however, unforeseen by them, she now has taken control of Hope in a last ditch effort to remain in the mortal plane. Hayley’s battle is likely leading her down a new path that may once again put her at odds with the entire Mikaelson bloodline, and Jackson briefly cameo’d, this time as a wicked hallucination paired against Hayley. All this and all my interest was actually on Rebekah and Marcel having their little argument that ended quite predictably in a long overdue kiss. Davina and Kol riding off into the blackened night was understandably necessary if nothing else to give Davina a more dignified ending than becoming the ancestor’s pet spirit. I’m fine with how they ended up given Kol’s strange journey over the seasons. The rest was of course the focus for Hayley which seems to be planting harder over our heads more than usual. Once again she’s turning her situation into an impossible choice, one that probably won’t involve consulting Klaus who will of course react in various yelling ways.

THE GOOD

The relationships are always a key element in these vampire stories and while Marcel and Rebekah are busy confusing themselves over what could and should have been, Davina and Kol are very keen on their plan to explore the world now that they’re free from the evil plots within New Orleans. Hayley, is still dealing with some leftover grief regarding her choice to be with Elijah versus Jackson even though she was married to him. It’s really about relationships that help create these conflicting moments, not just the bad guys manipulating events and creating ultimatums. Even Klaus, who went to the dagger as the answer, found a way to forgive Kol in the heat of the moment because Kol relied on Klaus’s feelings toward Camille to stay his hand. Those moments are far more classic than Hayley finding the strength to stab Inadu over and over. Even Freya dealing with a vision of evil-Keelin was to herself an eye-opener that inevitability of death can be anyone’s greatest fear. A lot of poignant moments came out of tonight and we didn’t even need any scenes with Elijah, though we got two.

THE BAD

Inadu’s time as herself was very short lived. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since we only have two episodes left, but I’m not the biggest fan of a spirit swapping from person to person keeping the essence of its core alive. Viewers should invest in an actor or actress as the villain to help understand their madness or their plight depending on how they’re presented. When several people portray the same villain, it can water down the effect greatly where I don’t really care one way or another how this creature manifests because we’ve lost all investment in it. I just think Inadu should have stayed in her true form until the end.

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Rebekah and Marcel’s argument led to their kiss. It was a very classic style of bickering and infatuation that I think only exists in the confines of television, but it helps lighten the mood and can shift the tone in favor for the characters in question. It was a fun moment, one that I’m glad ended with Rebekah whispering her obscenity as she walked off in frustration. I’m sure Marcel was thinking the same thing.

CHARACTER MVP

This shout-out will go to Kol this time. In the realm of family versus love, he tried to balance the scales as best he could knowing Klaus’s wrath was every near his heart. Still, in the end, he managed to get what he wanted and left relatively unscathed for the effort. His was the real victory if not a personal one and if I didn’t know better I’d say this was his final adieu until at least next season.

ENDING THOUGHTS

While Marcel’s role as king of the city has now been reduced to, which lovely lady does he confess eternal love to? I actually am rooting for him to choose Rebekah, if nothing else to finally get their frustrations from centuries of avoiding each other out. Marcel is the only person Rebekah loved that hasn’t been put to death and while it would have been better if Matt was still in the picture, I’d say Marcel is the next best thing for her if she really wants to try.

Vincent will have to come back into play for this final act considering Hope is now possessed by Inadu making this being the most powerful witch of all time. She’ll throw everyone across the room at the same time and not even think twice about it. I’m sure someone will mention some purging spell probably within the book Vincent tried to destroy a while back. Either way, Klaus and Hayley are going to have a field day when they find out what’s happened to their child.

I’m not certain the knot representing the linking spell was a good way to throw in something for Hope to do. Clearly, Kol couldn’t explain what she needed to do specifically so somehow he relied on some dark object that when properly straightened unlinked Davina from Inadu. I think we just have to accept the scene as it was and not really question it because it felt like it came out of nowhere. And the effects weren’t very good on screen either.

I wonder what the studios are doing to try and write the incoming 5th season since Inadu was really supposed to represent the end-all-be-all villain of the series. Will they skip ahead in time again or will they introduce an even greater foe for them to contend with? And of course, what stylized cliffhanger will they give us this time?

OVERALL SCORE

8 out 10. A family united can create the moments they need to succeed and be victorious against a common foe. Tonight’s Originals saw to the bitter end the original form of the hollow before it took refuge within Hope. If there’s still a sacrifice to be had to stop it, then Freya’s threat to use Marcel is still in effect, otherwise they’re in a world of trouble. Within Hayley’s struggle to fight Jackson and save the day, a few other couples shared some very heartfelt and lovingly funny moments, mostly in dealing with feelings that rarely get a chance to be explored. Though they’ve earned a respite and everyone’s well-dressed brother is back in the game, the real final battle is about to begin and the kingdom will once more be in jeopardy. Outside of a few glaring flaws, this was a brilliant episode with temptation and loyalty playing all-throughout. Only two episodes remain and a promise of one more journey in the city of New Orleans next year. Until next week, thanks for reading.